Video

[crackedreflection]

[MT, for quite possibly the first time most people have seen her, looks downright apologetic as she flickers onto the mirror screen. She... also looks a bit banged up. More than a bit, really.

Where has she been these past few weeks, exactly?]

Uh. Hey, everyone. I... probably owe you all an explanation for just vanishing like that.

After the whole fiasco with my fist mission—sorry Lyds, BJ, that one's still my fault—and how my "brilliant idea" completely failed to work out, I got.

Frustrated.

And decided that because obviously it was everyone else's fault that things went wrong, I had to fix things by myself.

Soooo I went into the bayou.

By myself.

Yeah.

But hey! I'm a toy and practically indestructible so... at least I'm not dead? Ha.

Hahahaha...

Anyways, I obviously got back, and I'm. In my room right now. Have been for a few days, really, I just conked out for like... forty-eight hours straight.

Er. Sorry for locking the door, Beej.

ANYWAYS! How have you been doing while I was, er, gone?

[MT is obviously exhausted and looks like she needs a shower, but... at least she's learned a lesson? Maybe?]

Comments

[strangeandunusual]

[Lydia's eyes widen as she gets a good look at her, and she steps back]

Whatever happened really changed you, didn't it? I mean - literally! I love your hair. It's so punk rock. But c'mon, sit down. Take a minute?

[she pointed to the counter with an awkward smile. she didn't know what had happened, so she wasn't sure what to say. she just knew she wanted to be there for her friend, in whatever way she might need]

I brought food ...?

[crackedreflection]

Getting whammied with Corrosion time distortion will do that to you, I guess.

And. Um. Thanks.

[MT blushes as she tucks some of her hair (wow, it's been over a year since she's been able to do that) behind her ear.]

For the food, I mean.

Compliment's nice too.

[MT descends on the food with reckless abandon, finishing it off in a matter of moments.]

[strangeandunusual]

Hey, don't mention it. ... They can mess with time, huh? Wow, that must have been really freaky. I can fill you in, if you want...

[she's worried about her, but knows that getting her back to her status quo will help her more than asking questions about it at the moment]

[crackedreflection]

How long I've been gone would be a good start.

[MT chuckles slightly as she continues devouring Lydia's carefully-prepared meal with all the grace of an orangutan.]

You know what's kinda funny?

I did the math a day or so ago, and I ended up coming back into the Kingdom on my fifteenth birthday. Not by date, but, like. Chronologically.

Guess I oughta thank Hades and Merlin for the present.

[strangeandunusual]

I haven't seen you since the food festival, so ... almost a month. We were really starting to get worried about you. But this means we were born in the same month! Mine's on the eighteenth.

[crackedreflection]

Actually, I- or, well, Tulip- was born in July, but she was one of those kids that obsessively tracked how old she was in fractions—twelve and three quarters, that kind of thing—and it turned out to be a good habit to have when I was in a time-distorted hellswamp. Counted the days, and well, I'm just a few days older than fifteen.

[strangeandunusual]

But - that's awesome. It means that you have your own birthday, and it's something you don't have to share with her. [Lydia smiled] All the more reason for us to celebrate it somehow.

[crackedreflection]

[Now that? That makes MT smile. Just a bit, but it's enough.]

Yeah... yeah, that sounds good.

[strangeandunusual]

[the smile is encouraging, no matter the size. she knows she's on the right track now]

Did you figure out a name, yet, by the way? Or are we still sticking with Emmy?

[crackedreflection]

Emmy's... good for now. [She sighs, slumping. MT still can't believe she's stuck on this.] It's just... when I find my name, I want a name that means something. That's real, that I got from the outside world. It's stupid, but...

[strangeandunusual]

No it's not. This isn't your world. You want the name to come to you when you're where it'll mean more. You want some ... some kind of connection to it that'll last. That's completely yours.

[knowing what little she did, she thought she understood: MT had spent most of her existence as a reflection of someone else. having been pulled through a mirror into a new world - even if it allowed her more of her own identity - probably had whole layers of strange feelings packed into it.]

Am I ... even close?

the icon and the one line is enough to communicate her emotions i think

[crackedreflection]

...yeah. You got it exactly right.

sometimes simple tags are amazing. <3

[strangeandunusual]

[she was a little surprised about the 'exactly', but ... wasn't going to dwell. this wasn't about her, it was about M-- about Emmy]

Then Emmy it is, until you say otherwise, and I won't mention it again 'til you do.

wrap soon?

[crackedreflection]

Thanks, Lydia.

[Wait.

Oh.

Oh, this was going to be a problem.]

Sure!

[strangeandunusual]

Hey, any time. You know where to find me.

... Anything else I can do for you?

[crackedreflection]

I mean... maybe we could. Figure out more times to hang out?

I really need to start hanging we people other than Beetlejuice, haha.

[strangeandunusual]

Yeah, totally! I'm only at the photo shop in the mornings ... Unless you want to come see the darkroom there, I'm at the Gallery until four during the week, and then I'm free after that. Or we could have lunch in between. ... I could invite Scorpia, if you haven't met her. And Atem works at the Gallery, he's really cool. He was a pharaoh in ancient Egypt, did you know that? He tells some great stories. I can introduce you to plenty of people.